Runnin' Down A Dream
By Andrew Murfett
Melbourne Age - December 6, 2007

Every great rock artist deserves a glorious audio-visual package like this.
Every great rock artist deserves a glorious audio-visual package like this. Petty and his band the Heartbreakers are still close to the peak of their powers decades in. This four-disc box-set is nirvana for fans. Director Peter Bogdanovich's film occupies two discs and charts Petty's life growing up in Florida and being hypnotised by Elvis Presley in grade five. After breaking out of Gainesville, Petty and band drove to LA. "The first time you hear a Tom Petty song, it sounds like a classic," Eddie Vedder says, in the first of many celebrity-laden tributes. About a quarter of the way in, things get very interesting and candid. There are drugs, of course, and tawdry revelations about his family life. The discretion of the filmmaker with what could have been grubby material is admirable. Listening to the music on offer, it's intriguing to hear how much of the band's sound has influenced contemporary acts such as the Strokes. Two further discs, one featuring a 30th anniversary concert and another jammed full of fan-friendly musical curios ice this package. Now, can we finally have another Tom Petty tour, please?